Last week, while meandering through the produce and power-walking down the freezer aisle (to avoid frostbitten fingers!), I heard a random “thud!” emit from my shopping basket. As I glanced down, my guy gave a sheepish grin. He had tried to sneak in a box of Trader Joe’s candy-coated licorice without me noticing. (Next time, choose something that doesn’t rattle, sweetie!)
When we opened the box at home, we both frowned at the stiff, thick sugar coating. The candies were almost as hard as rocks, and melting them with my crème brûlée torch on made them marginally softer. Disappointed, we nearly pitched the box, but I resolved to bake cookies with them instead.
Bad idea. I could barely saw through the candy coating with a serrated knife OR my sharpest chef knife! I left my mess (and melted butter—that’s important!) on the counter, dashed down the street to Safeway, and grabbed some regular black licorice.
Back in my kitchen, I hurriedly chopped the new candy, rapidly whisked together the dry ingredients, and poured my cooled melted butter out of its ramekin and into my mixing bowl. But as I cracked the egg and tried to add just the white, the yolk passed through my fingers and into the butter below.
Well, darn. No way could I fish out the yolk without losing some butter and egg white, so down the drain that mixture went. I reached for the same ramekin (see where this is going?), tossed in more butter, and stuck it in the microwave. When the “ding” sounded, I rushed over, grabbed the glass, and gasped as it slipped—through—my—fingers (because of the grease on the outside from the previous butter I had melted in it) and spilled ALL OVER the bottom of the microwave.
Arg. I added MORE butter to the same ramekin (no, I didn’t learn), put it BACK in the microwave, and carefully removed it to walk over to a clean mixing bowl. But… The glass was hot and I dropped the filled ramekin INTO the mixing bowl, completely coating its outside with melted butter.
GAH!! If that doesn’t sound like a sitcom script, then I need to start my own comedy show: “Baking With Amy.”
But as I was crunched for time—the dough needed to chill, and my prime photography sunlight hour was rapidly approaching—I refrained from a meltdown of my own (get it?) and took a spatula to the offending ramekin. After cautiously cracking the egg and stirring in the dry ingredients, I popped the bowl into the fridge and san into the sofa for a much-appreciated TV distraction.
Despite all of my butter disasters, the cookies baked off just fine, and I sent some home to my parents when my brother stopped by en route to visit them. That evening, I received this email from my mom:
Okay, we are all agreed. Those may possibly be the best cookies you’ve ever made (the licorice-almond). They melt in my mouth! Your brother said that it was really difficult to stop eating them.
So… Maybe that will convince you to try baking these cookies! (Just take a leaf out of my book and be careful with the butter!)
These sweet almond cookies are studded with bits of black licorice. It’s an absolutely addictive flavor combination, but if you do happen to have leftovers, they’ll stay soft for up to a week if kept in an air-tight container.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter and egg whites. Stir in the yogurt, almond extract and brown sugar, smearing any clumps of sugar along the side of the bowl. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the licorice, and fold in the remaining licorice. Cover the top with plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours, or until firm. (Note: If in a rush, you can refrigerate for 30 minutes and freeze for 15-20 minutes.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and divide into 24 pieces. Shape each into a ball, place onto the prepared baking sheets, and flatten slightly. Press 2-3 pieces of the reserved licorice into the top of each.
- Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes, or until light golden. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Notes: For a vegan version, substitute margarine for the butter, soy yogurt for the Greek, and 1 tablespoon + ¼ cup warm water for the egg whites.
I used Red Vines® black twists, but feel free to substitute your favorite brand! I used 1 serving of licorice in the cookies (about 140 calories). Just be sure to cut up the licorice into small pieces!
Oh, am I glad to know that I’m not the only one who does stuff like this! Sometimes I think we get so focused on what we’re doing (or working so fast so the sun doesn’t disappear before we get the perfect shot!) that we forget to take a step back and a deep breath.
Good for you for sticking with it and not giving up! I just may have thrown in the (kitchen) towel and given up! And the cookies look very yummy – great work!!!! 🙂
You’re definitely not the only one, Gretchen! I’ve been tempted to throw in the kitchen towel before too. I actually keep a little pink step stool in my kitchen (I’m barely 5’3″ and can’t reach the top shelves!), and on a few of my worst recipe disaster days, I’ve sat down there and cried. At least this story was a little more hilarious, but only after the cookies turned out so well! 😉
Oh, wow!! I LOVE the sound of that combination… Chewy licorice pieces in a super soft cookie tinted with almond?! These are totally an “adult” cookie- I remember hating black licorice as a kid, and always being so disappointed when my parents would get good n plenty candies, so pretty in their pink and white colors, and biting into them only to want to spit it right out again! Luckily, my tastes have changed as I’ve gotten older 😉
Oh man, your story was funny, but I can only imagine how frustrating that must have been! I’ve had situations like that happen to me many a time in the back of the whole foods market kitchen. For me, seems like as soon as I mess up once, my stress level increases and I’m more likely to mess up a second time!
We were the SAME way as kids! My godmother/”aunt” kept little treat boxes at her house for my brother and me, and she’d fill them up with cookies or candy right before we came over. Because her husband loved Good n Plenties, we usually got those. Lucky for us, she let us take the treats home in little plastic baggies, so we gave all of the black licorice to our mom in the car!
You’re SO right about messing up multiple times in a row! It’s like a domino effect — once one bad thing happens, it just keeps going and going. Glad you’ve found a new, calmer job! 🙂
Wow, Amy….what a unique recipe! I think I can honestly say, I’ve never had a cookie with licorice in it! But I bet the combination of almond and licorice is wonderful! I’ve had cookies with an anise flavor, but to add bits of licorice is a fabulous idea! They look absolutely picture perfect, too! Great photos! (I love Trader Joes, but I’ve had that occasional disappointing item as well…glad you persevered!)
Thank you Anne! I’ve used anise in cookies before (ages ago!), so maybe that’s where my subconscious inspiration came from. And I agree, I love TJ’s! (Their brownie bars are my kryptonite!)
Made these for a friend’s hubby for Xmas, they are fantastic! Substituted berry yogurt for the greek yogurt as on a budget but didn’t seem to make too much of a difference. Making them again tonight for myself! Thanks heaps for the recipe!
Kirsten, I’m so happy you enjoyed them! Thank you for passing along the tip about the berry yogurt too. I always keep a big tub of plain on hand, but it’s great to know that other types work too. Have fun baking tonight! 🙂
Hi I don’t have almond extract, I only have raw almonds. Is there anyway I can crush them and use instead of the extract?
Thanks in advance
I appreciate your interest in my recipe Debs! Unfortunately, that substitute won’t work. Almond extract has a unique flavor that you can’t get from using regular almonds, and the regular almonds would alter the texture of these cookies too much. I’d love to hear what you think if you’re able to try them!
These look delicious! Any chance they could be made using a gluten-free flour?
Thanks Cassis! Yes, most store-bought gluten-free flour blends should work, if they’re measured like this. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cookeis!